In the early 60s, ABC had few sitcom hits. Then in 1964, Bewitched made its debut and became a hit gimmick show. The key to the show's success was the premise of Darren and Samantha trying to live a normal suburban life much to the chagrin of her witching relatives, especially her mother Endora. Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York had outstanding chemistry and Agnes Moorehead played the role of the meddling mother-in-law so well.
There was also David White as Darren's boss Larry Tate and frequently adding to the chaos were Alice Pearce and Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz, who shouted to her husband "ABNER!" when she saw something suspicious next door. There were a number of talent people who played Samantha's relatives, including Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara and veteran Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans as Samantha's father. But the funniest of her relatives was Uncle Arthur, played by Paul Lynde. There was one episode I remember when he gave a magic show at Tabitha's birthday party and conjured up a Playboy bunny instead of a real bunny.
But in 1969, Dick York left the show and was quietly replaced by Dick Sargent. Sargent, to me, wasn't as good as York and it showed in a sharp ratings decline. Also, the show was starting to get old and tired and even some of the later episodes were remakes of earlier ones. Some later episodes i remember were the ones that were filmed in Salem, MA and Europe. It brought some life to a tired sitcom but after eight seasons, it's last up against All in the Family, Bewitched was zapped from the airwaves and into syndication after ABC reran the show in both daytime and Saturday morning. Bewitched was a great show for several years until it started losing its magic.
There was also David White as Darren's boss Larry Tate and frequently adding to the chaos were Alice Pearce and Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz, who shouted to her husband "ABNER!" when she saw something suspicious next door. There were a number of talent people who played Samantha's relatives, including Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara and veteran Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans as Samantha's father. But the funniest of her relatives was Uncle Arthur, played by Paul Lynde. There was one episode I remember when he gave a magic show at Tabitha's birthday party and conjured up a Playboy bunny instead of a real bunny.
But in 1969, Dick York left the show and was quietly replaced by Dick Sargent. Sargent, to me, wasn't as good as York and it showed in a sharp ratings decline. Also, the show was starting to get old and tired and even some of the later episodes were remakes of earlier ones. Some later episodes i remember were the ones that were filmed in Salem, MA and Europe. It brought some life to a tired sitcom but after eight seasons, it's last up against All in the Family, Bewitched was zapped from the airwaves and into syndication after ABC reran the show in both daytime and Saturday morning. Bewitched was a great show for several years until it started losing its magic.